Monica Segovia-Welsh

The last embellishment for the caramel pecan cakes is easy to make and adds beautiful brightness to the plate.

These individual cakes, from Lantern pastry chef Monica Segovia-Welsh, are moist, tender, and not remotely fussy. If you don’t want to fool with the suggested accompaniments, serve the cakes with a dollop of whipped cream instead.

We were enchanted by Segovia-Welsh’s idea of cold ice cream flavored with "warming" spices such as those found in the fragrant Chinese blend called five-spice powder. It turns the honest little caramel pecan cakes into something suave.